1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector equipped with a terminal-locking device which securely locks a terminal in place in a terminal-accommodating chamber of a connector housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
The fixing of a terminal in a terminal-accommodating chamber of a connector housing is generally effected by providing a terminal with an integral raised piece and engaging the raised piece with a bottom wall of the terminal-accommodating chamber, or by providing a ceiling wall of the terminal-accommodating chamber with an integral resilient locking arm and engaging the arm with a shoulder or in a hole of an electric contact of the terminal.
The raised piece and the locking arm, however, have a drawback that they are subject to damages on, among other things, repeated coupling and decoupling of connectors, resulting in the terminal slipping off or in a contact failure.
In view of such drawbacks, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Specification No. 64-54678 discloses a connector K provided with a mechanism for double-locking a terminal as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.
In the connector K, a locking arm c is provided in each terminal-accommodating chamber b of a housing a, and throughholes d are provided in an outer peripheral wall of the housing a, which throughholes communicate to respective terminal-accommodating chambers b. An insertion pin e is inserted through the throughhole d to bring its locking projection el into engagement with a terminal f for double-locking the terminal f from slipping off.
The connector K, however, has a drawback that, since the locking arm c is integrally formed with the housing a by molding, it cannot be largely displaced for the structural reason, often resulting in insufficient locking of the terminal f.
Another drawback is that, since the locking arm c and the insertion pin e are separate parts, each molded from synthetic resin material, there are cases where size errors of molded pieces especially when doubled cause an insufficient locking of the terminal f, and where even when the terminal f is in incompletely inserted position in the terminal-accommodating chamber b, the insertion pin e is inserted irrespective of such position of the terminal f, resulting in a continuity failure.